We are told that the God of the Bible is a 'he'. Down here on planet earth male and female are differentiated by their sexual organs. I am a male and I have the requisite plumbing which makes me male. So if the God of the Bible is a 'he' as scripture states, does he have the same plumbing as me? If he does, how can a spirit have a willy? If not, what is it then that makes him male?
Originally posted by Proper KnobHebrew (like, e.g., Spanish) has no neuter gender. Everything (willy or no) ends up being he or she. The patriarchy (“kyriarchy” ) may end up imposing the “maleness”, but they have little real linguistic support, even from Torah/Tanach. For instance, “Yah”—as in hallelu Yah—is feminine. Shekhina (immanent or indwelling presence) is taken to be the decidedly feminine aspect of the godhead.
We are told that the God of the Bible is a 'he'. Down here on planet earth male and female are differentiated by their sexual organs. I am a male and I have the requisite plumbing which makes me male. So if the God of the Bible is a 'he' as scripture states, does he have the same plumbing as me? If he does, how can a spirit have a willy? If not, what is it then that makes him male?
Two forms of the standard Jewish blessing phrase—
Masculine: Baruch atah Adonai.
Feminine: Brucha at Yah (Shekhinah).
The second would not be said by an Orthodox Jew, but is found in the siddurim (prayer books/liturgies) of both the Reform and the Reconstructionist congregations (don’t know about the Conservatives).
Note: The “ch” is pronounced something like a softer, deeper-in-the-throat version of the Scottish ch in “loch”; kh is a somewhat firmer guttural—though, according to one Hebrew book I have, even native speakers may have difficulty distinguishing the two (my pronunciation is terrible).
Originally posted by Proper KnobConsider the German language (the only foreign language I have some familiarity with). Why are some nouns masculine, some feminine, and some just neutral?
What makes a spirit male, or female for that matter?
Do words have sexual organs?
I suspect the answer has to be similar to the answer to this thread's question.